Car-cooling device.



Patented Nov. 14, 1911,.

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A u attovnugo J. D. CUNNINGHAM.

GAR COOLING DEVICE.

AEPLIOATION FILED JULY 22, 190s. Bmmwnn JUNE z, 1911.

1,008,703. Patented N0v.14, 1911.

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UNITED sTATEs rAATENT carica.

JOHN DANIEL CUNNINGHAM, OF MARIETTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN EASSIGN- h MENTS, TO THE BLIZZARD PRE-COOLER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFOHIO.

GAR-COOLING DEVICE.

within the car and thus preserve the fruit until the car reaches itsdestination.

In the majority of cases the quantity of ice used is not suiiicient tolower the temperature of a mass of fruit or other material to such pointas to insure its preservation yvhile the distribution ofthe air currentswithin the car is seldom such asvto evapo-l rate the 'moisture whichforms on the fruit, and which is 'a frequent cause of decay. Unless thefruit' is thoroughly chilled by the passage of currents of cold air andthe moisture thoroughly. evaporated it is impossible to maintain a verylow temperature, no matter what quantity of ice be used in the tanks.

The principal object of the present invention )is to provide what maybetermed a preliminary cooler, which may be connected vto the carimmediately after the fruit packed or at any desired point or pointsbefore the car reaches its destination, for the purpose of drivingoutall vof the hot air and moisture and vcooling the .fruit down to suchla temperature that -it may be preservedin perfect condition by acomparativelyv small quantity of ice.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form ofpreliminary `cooler which may be arranged at any point along vtherailway line and connected to the successive cars of a train by flexibletubing through which currentsl of cold air are driven, the tubing beingconnected to the cars at any desired point or points so aus to displace'the hot air byconvection and lower the temperature to the desiredpoint.

A still further object of the invention is.

to providea preliminary cooler 'which 'may be of a portable type andmounted on wheels to permit ready transportation from place toplace. ii,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. '14, 1911.

444,847. Renewed .Tune 2, 1911. Serial No. 630,764.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cooling devicewhich maybe employed to advantage in hospitals, theaters ordwelling'houses for the purpose of main' taining a low temperatureduring the sum mer months.

With these and other objects in view, as will more vfully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described,illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood, that various changes in the form,proportions, size and minor details of the structure maybe made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation of an aircooling device constructed in accordance with the invention, a portionof the outer casing being broken away in'order to show the inner airtube. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the line 2-2`of Fig. l, drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a detail perspectiveview showing an adjustable discharge connection which may be applied tothe end of the cooler to conduct the air ycur-y rent to diferentpoint-sin the car. Fig. 4 is a View in the nature of a diagram showing thecooler connected to a car. Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, ofa modiied form of cooler.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The air cooler forming the subject of the ypresent invention is mountedon a suitable truck having supporting wheels 1l and provided at oneend'with a tongue or handle `12 by which the cooler may be readily movedfrom place to place. On' the platform of the truck is arranged a'tank 15which may be constructed of wood or other material. The tank visprovided Vwith end members 16 and a hinged lid'or cover 17 .and atsuitable points within the tank are transversely disposed partitions 18divided, into anum-ber of compartments.

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The end walls 16 and partitions 18 serve for the support of air coolingpipes 19A which /may be provided with suitable re- VIA`turn bends of anynumber in order that *A i y to any desired temperature.

The pipes are arranged in sets, each set extending back and forth in thecasing, and having an inlet at oneend thereof, and an outlet at theopposite end.

The coils are arran ed in three tiers. In

Athe' upper and lower tiers, each coil consists,

of three horizontal pipes connected by two return bends, the uppermember' opening into the hood 22, and the lower member discharging intothe chamber 25. The middle tier of each coil also consists of threehorizontal pipes" connected b return bends, but these pipes are arrangein two rows only, the return bends being fitted on the pipesaccordingly.

The return bends are on the outside of the end walls 16 which enablesthe air-conducting pipes to be supported b said walls. Each pipe istherefore' given a rm support, and a rigidvstructure is had, which isdesirableas the aplparatus is not a stationary one, but .is porta le,and when in use is frequently shifted about. j

' The various compartments of the tank are filled with any suitablerefrigerant, such for instance, as a mixture of cracked ice and salt, orthe air pipes may be surrounded by ammonia expansion plpes or by lpigesfor the circulation of a cold brine or ot er liquid. l

At one end of.. the tank is secured a hood 22 that is conne'e'tedto thedischarge pipe of a blast fan', 23, which may be driven from anysuitable source of poweraand-.the air entering thisv hood isdistributedl through the several pipes f 19 and after flowing.

through the pipe is discharged at a much lower temperature into acompartment 25 at the opposite end of the tank.

The discharge compartment 25 is provided ywith extensible 'walls thatpreferably are constructed in the same manner as an ordinary camerabellows." At the outer ends .of the walls is secured aI plate 27 that isarranged to fit closely against the side wall of the car, said platehaving a central opening28 of an area somewhat less than the area of oneofthe doors of the car.

The air cooler may be wheeled in position and the plate 27 adjustedagainst the open side of the car after the latter has been` filled withfruit, the bellows like walls of the discharge compartment yielding sothat the plate 27 may be thrust closely against the side of the car toprevent leakage of air. The fan is then started into operation and airisvforced through the several pipes 19,

the cold air being dischargedinto the car' and serving to evaporate themoisture and at the same time to drive out, all ofthe heated air withinthe same so that the temperature will be rapidly reduced to the desiredpoint. This low'temperature will then be safely maintained by acomparatively l small quantity of ice in the ordinary tanks and thefruit will arrive at its destination in perfect condition.

Where exceptlonallylong distances must be-traveled, or where the carsare .delayed in transport, they may be connected to coolers atintermediate points for the purpose of` reducing the temperature one ormore times before the load is discharged.

In some cases it may not be possible or de sirable to blow the cold airdirectly through the side doors of the car, and in such cases thebellows dischargechamber 25 is removed and a discharge chamber 25 issubstitutedv therefor. l

The discharge chamber 25 is inthe form of a tapering hood, the smallerend of which is connected by a flexible tube. 30 -to a small forcedtothe interior.l

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a slightly modified construction of the cooler.In this case the` cooling tank 15 is vertical and the air cooling pi esare, also, vertical. The air is forced 1n at the bottom and isdischarged at the top through a tube 35 and the discharge of air may beregulated by a 4suitable damper 0r valve 36.

While the apparatus has been described in its portable form asrepresenting the most simple construction, it is obvious, of course,

.that large plants may be installed permanently at railway stations orat any point or points along the railway line and connected to thesuccessive cars of a train by flexible nected .to the radiator or.similar pipes,

usually found in lsuch places, and a'circulation of cold air maintainedin said pipes in place of the'steam or hot water employed during thewinter months, and in this way the temperature of the rooms of thebuilding may be lowered in the summer in practically the same way asthey are heated in the winter.

As before stated, it is possible to employ any refrigerating agent forthe purpose of cooling the air and this may be possible at largedistributing points where suitable refrigerating machinery may beprofitably employed. In such cases the air pipes may be surrounded by-other v pipes maintaining a cold brine'soluti-on, or a fluid that willact to absorb the heat of the air.

1. An air cooling apparatus comprising a wheeled platform, a casingmounted thereon and .provided with a plurality of interrality of tubestherein extending through medlate partitions dividing the casing intothe end walls thereof, and providedon the compartments, a lid oreov'erfor the top of outside thereof with return bends, said tubes 35 thecasing, a plurality of tubes extending extending back and forth in thecasing, and

5 through the end Walls and partitions and having an inlet atvone endthereof, and an provided with return bends, a blast fan outlet at theopposite end, a casing over the mounted onthe platform, a tapered hoodinlet ends of the tubes, a fan discharging secured to one end of thecasing and forminto the last-mentioned casing, a casing over 40 ing aconnection between the discharge side the outlet ends of the tubes, andmeans for 10 of the blast fan and the inlet ends of the delivering theair from the last mentioned tubes, a discharge chamber having flexiblecasing. Walls secured to the discharge end of the 4. A portable aircooling apparatus comcasing, and a plate arranged to rest againstprising a truck, a closed casing mounted on 45 the side of the car to betreated, said plate the truck, and containing a refrigerant, a

15 being secured to the liexible wall of the plurality of tubes in thecasing extending discharge chamber, and having an opening through theend walls thereof, and provided through which the cold air may pass,with return bends, said tubes being arrange 2. An air-cooling apparatuscomprising a lin sets, each set extending back and forth 5o closedcasing containmgarefrigerant, a pluin the casing, and having an inlet atone Q0 rality of tubes therein extending through end thereof, and anoutlet atn the opposite the end walls thereof, and provided on the end,a casing over the inlet ends of the tubes, outside thereofwith returnbends, said tubes a fan discharging intov the last mentioned beingarranged in sets, and each set extendcasing, a casing over the outletends of the 55 ing back and forth in the casing, and havtubes, and meansfor delivering the air from 25 ing an inlet at one end thereof, and anoutlet the last mentioned casing.

at t-he opposite end, a casing over the inlet In testimony that I claim'the foregoing ends of the tubes, a fan discharginginto the as my own. Ihave hereunto aiiixed my s iglast-nientioned casing, a casing over theoutnature in the presence of two KWitnesses.

let ends of the tubes, and means, for deliver- JOHN DANIEL CUNNINGHAM.3o ing the air from the last-mentioned casing. Witnesses:

8.' An air-cooling apparatus comprising a CHARLES STREETMAN,

closed casing containing a refrigerant, a plu- GLENDINNING B. GROESBECK.

